Let’s be trustworthy—at RescueTime, we will’t say sufficient good issues about time monitoring. That’s not as a result of we simply assume it’s a fantastic behavior, however as a result of we’ve seen its advantages play out for greater than 2 million customers.
At this level, that point monitoring comes with a wide range of benefits, however possibly you’ve hit a wall. One thing is retaining you from committing to precisely monitoring your time and having fun with the outcomes that accompany the behavior.
I’m right here to remind you why time monitoring is well worth the effort and provide strategies to mitigate 7 of the commonest time monitoring challenges folks face. Let’s get cracking—I imply—monitoring.
The significance of correct time monitoring
Retaining correct monitor of your time is nice for you as an individual and good for you as a enterprise proprietor. (The important thing phrase right here is correct. Greatest guesses aren’t sufficient.)
Right here’s why you would possibly need to hold monitor of your time all through the workday:
Accountability
As a freelancer or entrepreneur, there’s a way of freedom in being your personal boss. That makes it simple to neglect the truth that on the finish of the day, you’re nonetheless accountable to your self.
While you procrastinate on an essential shopper challenge or waste time scrolling via social media, it’s important to reply to your self. And that reply usually comes within the type of late-night work classes or misplaced earnings—probably even a misplaced shopper if you happen to’re actually not on time.
Correct time monitoring forces you to note these 80 minutes you misplaced to time wasters like Fb or YouTube. It additionally places the highlight on the hours you spent working when your schedule dictated it ought to have been private time.
Improved self-awareness
Time-tracking software program doesn’t sugarcoat its information to make you are feeling higher about how the day progressed. It’s all the time an trustworthy image of the way you spend your time, permitting you a strictly factual overview of your time administration and productiveness. The uncooked, trustworthy information accessible from time-tracking software program supplies extra consciousness about your work habits so you may see when it’s time for a change.
Higher work/life stability
One survey discovered that 97% of small enterprise homeowners usually or all the time work on the weekend. And certain, generally there’s a necessity for that. I’m at the moment scripting this from an area espresso store on a Saturday as a result of the vacations have disrupted my regular working hours. Nonetheless, the identical survey discovered that 4 out of 5 small enterprise homeowners really feel like they’re working an excessive amount of, and the implications embody impatience, insomnia, forgetfulness, temper swings, and even indignant outbursts.
Correct information
While you’re working with shoppers on an hourly foundation, you could be tempted to reply a fast e-mail or make just a few small tweaks to your work with out logging these billable hours. Correct time monitoring accounts for all these little minutes that would add up to some hundred {dollars} a month or allow you to see when work is creeping out of your unique scope.
Information-driven decision-making
The info supplied by correct time monitoring can allow you to make selections about your schedule and your small business. Listed below are only a few examples of what that may seem like:
- You discover your productiveness drops round 2 pm day-after-day, so that you dedicate that point to much less thought-intensive duties like answering emails and embody time for a break at 2:30.
- You understand that whilst you accounted for a challenge to take 5 hours every week, you’re dedicating 7-8 hours every week to it. Sooner or later, you’ll know to cost the next fee for related work.
- After working 4 Saturdays in a row, you begin blocking out your Friday mornings for catch-up time, so the week’s work doesn’t spill into your weekend.
Frequent time monitoring challenges AND doable options for every
In principle, time monitoring is a good behavior with many advantages. In actuality, it’s a type of issues that’s simpler mentioned than carried out. Listed below are a number of the commonest hurdles you would possibly face:
Problem 1: Inaccuracy
Lots of us are wanting on the method we spend our time via rose-colored glasses. We overestimate how productive we’ve been and underestimate how a lot time we’ve wasted.
It’s additionally simple to neglect to log your time or underestimate process durations. You possibly can attain 5 PM and understand you by no means logged a single process, forcing you to guesstimate how lengthy you spent on each.
Inaccurate time monitoring can finally lead to poor challenge planning, bother scaling your small business, and missed alternatives to optimize sure duties. Let’s say you assume you spend 2 hours sending proposals every week, however realistically, it’s nearer to five. With out correct time monitoring you gained’t understand how a lot the duty—which could possibly be outsourced or optimized—is spilling into different areas of your work.
Doable options:
- Use time-tracking software program that logs your on-line hours for you.
- Set an alarm to report your actions in chunks all through the day. Each 1-2 hours provides you sufficient time to finish targeted work however not so lengthy that you just neglect what you’ve been doing.
- Log your time everytime you transition from one process to a different.
- Finish every week with a assessment of your time logs to audit entries for errors or missed actions.
- Should you solely need to monitor time for billing functions, dedicate a part of the day to shopper work, and give attention to monitoring these hours as an alternative of all of your exercise for the day.
Problem 2: Dedication
In contrast to a company worker, freelancers and entrepreneurs must self-motivate to take care of consistency. Being your personal boss is empowering, however can be a slippery slope. Managing your schedule makes it tempting to prioritize shopper work or duties that may assist develop your small business over administrative duties like time monitoring.
Even if you happen to’re beginning 2025 with a tough dedication to precisely monitor your time, 94% of individuals abandon their New Yr’s resolutions inside two months. How are you going to take care of your dedication to see the long-term outcomes of this behavior?
Doable options:
- Recruit an accountability companion to test in and be sure to’re staying dedicated to time monitoring.
- Go public along with your option to decide to time monitoring and share what you study all through the method on LinkedIn.
- Set small milestones, like monitoring for a full week, then construct as much as bigger milestones, like staying constant for your complete month. Have fun every win with a small reward to maintain the behavior pleasing.
Problem 3: Complexity of instruments
Overly sophisticated built-in instruments can rapidly deter your time monitoring efforts. Lots of time monitoring instruments are designed for giant groups or firms. Navigating complicated software program will get overwhelming in a short time and may price you invaluable time you may be spending on precise work (See the irony?).
Doable options:
- Select time monitoring software program instruments with customizable options. While you first begin out, you may persist with the fundamentals earlier than you progress on to extra complicated options.
- Watch tutorials that stroll you thru how one can use all the instruments accessible along with your time monitoring software program so you may make the most of the total vary of options.
- Go for time-tracking instruments that provide mobile-friendly apps so you may monitor time on the go with out including complexity.
Problem 4: Simplicity of instruments
On the opposite finish of the spectrum, some time-tracking instruments are so easy that they don’t provide sufficient options for long-term use. (We’re taking a look at you, paper logs and spreadsheets.)
Positive, information in and of itself is nice, nevertheless it’s even higher when it has a bit of meat with it. Time-tracking instruments that categorize your time or allow you to establish long-term traits are extra useful for discerning the adjustments you should make.
It’s like attempting to place collectively a bookshelf from IKEA with out the directions. All the supplies you want are there, however you’re unsure how one can put them collectively for probably the most optimum outcomes.
Doable options:
- In case your paper and pencil time log isn’t slicing it anymore, take into account upgrading to a time-tracking software program that categorizes your actions for you.
- Break duties into subcategories in your easy report so you continue to get a extra helpful overview of your time.
- In case your time-tracking instrument doesn’t really feel superior sufficient, check out any accessible extra options to think about if you happen to would possibly need to improve to a extra superior or feature-heavy model earlier than you fully bounce ship to a brand new instrument.
Problem 5: Privateness considerations
Nobody desires to really feel like Huge Brother is wanting over their shoulder. Firm-mandated time monitoring instruments make you acutely aware of each second you spend pondering or brainstorming as an alternative of actively working in your laptop. Even with normal software program, you could fear about who can see your information.
Doable options:
The way you strategy privateness considerations has quite a bit to do with what degree of concern you’ve got.
- Go for a time monitoring software program that has clear information and privateness insurance policies.
- Select a instrument that lets you customise when/what you monitor, so you may log your skilled duties however hold private information separate.
- For these with a Ron Swanson-esque want for privateness, take into account desktop-only trackers that don’t sync to the cloud.
Problem 6: Lack of motivation
With out instantly seen outcomes, it’s simple to deprioritize time monitoring in favor of extra pressing duties (extra irony).
Doable options:
- Decide to plans or occasions that pressure you to set a tough cease at a sure time. Being up in opposition to a clock might inspire you to raised monitor and handle your time.
- Begin transferring deadlines nearer so that you’re much less more likely to procrastinate and also you’re “pressured” to make use of your time properly.
- Gamify the method and reward your self with a small deal with occasionally.
- Begin by monitoring work on a single challenge or shopper to ease your self into the behavior with out feeling overwhelmed.
Problem 7: Resistance
Of on a regular basis monitoring challenges, acknowledging this one may be probably the most tough. Generally we simply don’t need to strive one thing new. It may be simple to see time monitoring as pointless, particularly if you happen to assume you already understand how you spend your time.
Doable options:
Begin by figuring out the why behind your resistance. Does time monitoring appear pointless? Do you are feeling such as you gained’t use the information? Does your price range not have wiggle room for time monitoring software program? Naming the explanation you’re proof against time monitoring helps you deal with no matter core perception is stopping you from even attempting it.
Should you really feel such as you would possibly need to take into account time monitoring, however one thing appears to be holding you again, take into account that point monitoring and improved time administration usually go hand-in-hand. Make a listing of particular advantages you would possibly expertise from higher time use, like:
- enhancing your effectivity in order that your earnings sees a lift
- liberating your schedule for private joys like studying/spending time with household/attempting a brand new interest
- limiting or eliminating work you do exterior of ordinary work hours
- spending extra time with household and buddies
RescueTime: A instrument that can assist you overcome your time-tracking challenges
RescueTime tracks your digital exercise throughout a number of gadgets with out handbook enter, supplying you with a transparent image of the way you’re spending your time. Among the most notable options embody—
- Aim-setting instruments that can assist you give attention to key priorities.
- Detailed analytics and stories that can assist you establish patterns of productiveness and distractions
- Focus Classes to attenuate interruptions throughout your work
For extra accountability, we provide reside Guided Focus Classes all through the week. Work ‘side-by-side’ different distant staff in a digital co-working house for as much as 2 hours and watch how a lot you may get carried out.
Nonetheless on the fence about the necessity to monitor your time?
RescueTime is free in your first 14 days. Set a purpose to persistently monitor your time for simply two weeks and see what sort of variations you discover by the tip. Higher time administration is without doubt one of the greatest items you can provide your self as we transition into a brand new 12 months.